May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.(1 Thess 5:23)

Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well. (3 John verse 2)

When God created us, He made us in His image by giving us the spirit, soul and body. The soul consists of mind, will and emotions, the very core of our life.

Jesus is the healer and he wants to heal the whole person, not only the body, but the soul as well. Our life is suffering if our mind is not healthy. The Romans had a phrase: Menssanain corpore sano (sound mind in healthy body). Psychiatry is well aware of how important it is to have a sound mind and it tries to help but it can only dig out the roots and reasons going back to the past giving a diagnosis of why people have problems. But this does not mean that they will get healed. But Jesus is the healer and he said: Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matt.11:28) So many of us need this rest in our minds.

How is our thought life? Let’s think about ourselves. Do we have healthy, sound and good thoughts about ourselves or are we bombarded by negative thoughts, putting down ourselves, beating ourselves mentally? If this is the case, it is impossible for us to prosper in the way God wants us to. The change starts by renewing our thoughts according to what God says about us and this brings the truth instead of lies.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:2)

God has a good, pleasing and perfect will for each one of us, but we don’t know it unless we start thinking like he does.

The road towards healthy thought life starts by knowing what He says about us. He is our Loving Father and we are created in His image. This is a high call and nobody has right to degrade it by putting themselves down. How can we fulfill our call and purpose in life if we don’t have right thoughts about ourselves? Our thinking affects our speaking, attitudes and behavior.

So healthy self-image starts by thinking right thoughts about yourself. Maybe you have been trapped by the lies of the enemy that you are worthless and your life has no value or purpose. This is a terrible lie! We don’t get the truth from this world and from other people’s opinions, but from God’s word. Don’t form your self-image by what people say about you. Study the Word and the promises of God and you will experience that your negative thought patterns (strongholds) will start to get changed. Start confessing the word out loud. Say: I am fearfully and wonderfully made. (Psalm139:40) Everything inside of you might try to fight against it but let the word penetrate deep into your heart and mind. The truth will set you free.

The change of mind is utterly important. Repent from any destructive thoughts about yourself. Sometimes our negative thoughts have gone so far that we even hate ourselves. That brings enormous burden and pain and hinders us from loving others and enjoying life in general.

Forgive those who have hurt you and said negative things about you, bullied etc. Forgiveness is the key. Forgive whether you feel like it or not or even if it doesn’t make any sense. Do it as an act of obedience to God and freedom will come. Your wounds and hurts might be so deep that you don’t know whom to forgive. You can always ask the Holy Spirit to help you. He is our Helper and will show you people or situations that have started that root of negative thought pattern to grow inside of you. Let forgiveness flow – this brings healing and deliverance!

Remember that you need to forgive yourself as well. Life is too short and you are too precious to live under lies and deception. Let the truth of God set you free!